Title holders Delhi Waveriders register their first victory of the season, following a 3-1 win over debutants Dabang Mumbai in a league match of the third edition of the Hero Hockey India League, here today.
The Waveriders scored a goal each in the first, second and fourth quarter through Lloyd Norris Jones (10th minute), Simon Child (19th) and Akashdeep Singh (52nd) to record their maiden win in the ongoing edition of the six-team franchise-based event.
Dabang Mumbai's lone goal came in the third quarter from the stick of veteran Arjun Halappa in the 36th minute at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
Both the Waveriders and Dabang Mumbai were slow to get off the blocks. The Delhi outfit in particular looked little out of sorts initially in the absence of its inspirational skipper Sardar Singh, who sat out of today's encounter due to a one-game suspension for inappropriate physical contact with a rival player during his side's last match.
But despite Sardar's absence, the Mumbai outfit did very little to take advantage of the fact at least in the first two quarters.
The Waveriders got the first scoring opportunity early in the match but Andrew Hayward's try was kept out by a Mumbai defender.
But it did not take long for the hosts to surge ahead as in the 10th minute Lloyd Norris Jones scored with a fierce hit from top of the circle after receiving a defence splitting pass from Yuvraj Walmiki.
Norris Jones was once again at the thick of action three minutes later but his reverse hit just went wide of the Mumbai goal.
Minutes later Dabang Mumbai secured their first penalty corner but the opportunity went abegging as the Waveriders ended the first quarter with a slender one goal lead.
